Benedikt von Hertenstein (born about 1495, died 1522)
Original title: Benedikt von Hertenstein (born about 1495, died 1522)
kurzbeschreibung
Hans Holbein the Younger painted Benedikt von Hertenstein in 1517, when the sitter was still a young man. The portrait is oil and gold on paper, later mounted on wood. Benedikt appears in costly dress with folded hands, and behind him a relief-filled ground opens up.
Description
A red cap sits on his head, its black ribbons hanging down; beneath it emerge a black shirt with a white collar and a gold chain. Over all this he wears a red robe with black stripes. His hands are clasped, a signet ring on one finger. The ground is filled with a relief showing a crowd engaged in dance and combat, and above it runs a Latin inscription.
Context
The portrait was made in 1517 during Holbein's stay in Lucerne. Benedikt von Hertenstein belonged to an influential Swiss family. Its creation probably connects with his visit to Lucerne. Both the inscription and the relief can be read as references to the sitter's origins and virtues.
Impact
Dark tones carry the image, with red and gold shining out from them; from this grows a grave, dignified mood. Light falling from the side sharpens the contours of face and ground and makes the forms stand out bodily. Fabric and metal are captured with great care in their surfaces, which speaks for the painter's manual precision.
Technique
The painting is in oil and gold on paper, which was afterwards mounted on wood. Such a procedure was common in the Renaissance to strengthen works on paper. The gold points to the high rank of the sitter and distinguishes the sheet from purely paper works.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)